The Vista Blog

At The Vista, residents’ input is valued and encouraged to ensure the premier continuing care retirement community is providing a fulfilling lifestyle and first-class environment. Resident committees make it easy for all residents to share ideas and provide feedback so that the Vista experience is cultivated and customized to meet their preferences.

How Do Resident Committees Work?

There are five working committees at The Vista, governed by the Executive Committee. These five committees are:

• The Dining Committee
• The Friendship Committee
• The Wellness Committee
• The Building and Grounds Committee
• The Events Committee

Each committee consists of a group of members appointed by the committee chair. At the end of the year, the chair reviews and rotates committee members so that new members can continually participate and provide fresh perspectives.

“It’s a mix of people with different backgrounds and ideas,” said Susan Garrison, Chair of the Dining Committee. “I think that’s the most important thing about the committees.”

“Our purpose is to create a collaborative relationship between the residents and The Vista’s management,” said Bill Howes, President of the Executive Committee. “Through each committee, we identify opportunities to enhance the lifestyle of everyone that lives here.”

All five committee heads report to Bill with any feedback that they receive from residents at The Vista. “We ask our residents if you have an idea or an issue, go to one of the five committee heads,” said Bill. “It’s their job to interface with our residents who report to them. That way there’s a lot of opportunities for people who are not on committees to participate and contribute to The Vista.”

Additionally, the committees hold a monthly resident council meeting, which all Vista residents are invited to attend to discuss any open subjects and receive reports on current issues from the five committee heads. The meeting also features guest speakers, such as new department leads at The Vista, and a Q&A session.

How Resident Committees Enhance Life at The Vista

Resident committees ensure that every aspect of life at The Vista consistently exceeds resident expectations and reflects their unique preferences. The community encourages a collaborative environment by giving residents the opportunity to get involved and directly influence everything from their dining options to events on the calendar.

“Dining is the center of socialization here at The Vista,” said Susan. “It’s a very important piece of everyone’s lifestyle here, so we strive to make it as wonderful as possible and satisfy everyone.  I work really closely with the director of Dining Services – we have a great relationship, and he’s very experienced and has a lot of great ideas and a real vision for our dining program.”

Through the Dining Committee, Susan has worked to ensure the cuisine at The Vista’s two on-site restaurants consistently exceeds quality standards and that the menus reflect resident preferences with diverse, elevated dishes. Her committee has encouraged more options for those with dietary restrictions, such as vegetarian, gluten-free, or low-sugar and low-sodium meals, and more daily specials, such as filet mignon and a fresh catch of the day.

“Most of us are eating more fish than we ever have in our lives because it’s available every day, and they have wonderful ways of preparing it,” she said.

Residents are also able to provide feedback using dining comment cards, which the committee then reviews and gives to the Dining Services director.

“We try to bring any suggestions that people give to us back to the dining team so that they can respond to what the residents want,” Susan said. “Everyone here is very responsive, and they try very hard to accommodate every request.”

“Dining is where we all come together, so it’s very important,” said Bill.

Through resident committees, Vista residents are also able to influence the events they wish to see on the calendar, the wellness programs and opportunities they’d like to participate in, and even the appearance and functionality of the buildings and beautifully landscaped grounds in the community.

Len Wynbeek, Chair of the Building and Grounds Committee, works hard alongside the Plant Operations manager to ensure everything at The Vista is well-kept, accessible, and in good working order.

Residents point out anything they notice or believe needs improvement to Len, and The Vista responds promptly to correct the issue. For example, a Vista resident who loved sitting on a certain area of the porch requested that they make it more accessible for her husband. Len worked with The Vista to install supportive railings so her husband could easily join her.

The Building and Grounds Committee also recommends innovative solutions to improve efficiency around The Vista, such as installing an automatic garage door opener system to offer residents easy access to the parking garage.

“We have beautiful buildings and grounds, and they do a great job at maintaining them,” said Len.

The Benefits of Serving on a Committee

The Vista encourages an active, engaged lifestyle, with numerous opportunities for residents to keep busy and fill their days with purpose. The members of the various resident committees love serving the community at The Vista because they not only improve life for every resident but also enrich their own through their achievements.

“I was a teacher all my life and very involved with work,” said Susan. “I love really contributing to everyone’s experience here at The Vista. I get a tremendous amount out of helping people and doing what I can to improve the community.”

“I was a CEO, and I’ve always believed that the most successful organizations are not managed from the top down but from the ground level, where the action is,” said Bill. “I enjoy working with people like Susan and Len and watching things happen where the people are rather than some high-up headquarters. We’ve got a great camaraderie here and a family atmosphere – people care about each other.”

“We really love The Vista, and I’m happy that I can participate and help somehow,” said Len. “Through my committee, I get to interact with residents, which I really enjoy. I’m glad to do it.”

The close connections between the residents at The Vista foster a truly warm and welcoming community, where everyone feels heard and supported. Residents love knowing they can depend on their friends and neighbors when they need them.

“My husband and I go away in the winter, and when we come back, we feel like we’re coming back to our family,” said Susan. “It’s an indescribable feeling. We support one another in any way we can. We visited a lot of communities before we chose The Vista, and I never felt any of those places had anything like what we have at The Vista.”

“We’ve been truly happy here since day one,” said Len. “It’s a great place to live.”

Is The Vista Right for You?

Northern New Jersey’s premier continuing care retirement community offers a vibrant, engaged lifestyle in an inviting, social environment. If you are looking for a place to call home that is committed to exceeding your expectations, The Vista might be right for you. To learn more, please call (201) 508-0793 or visit TheVista.org.